It's rushed and hot. It's silent and heavy. It's lust and pain. It's what Alex needs and what Ashly craves. It's never enough, though. It will never be enough. Ashly liked to believe that she was strong and resilient. She once was, when her head was full of all her wildest dreams and highest hopes. But watching the rise and fall of the chest of the Alpha sleeping next to her, she doesn't know what to believe anymore. All she's come to know is the ache deep in her bones and heart. Alex cancelled their ceremony and ordered her to come back. She was confused, and when she saw Rose and Seth's faces, she got more confused. Alex fucked her without saying anything, and she enjoyed it, but she felt like something bad was going to happen. The clock next to her blinks at 2:45 a.m. She allows herself a minute before gently running her hands through Alex's hair to wake him. It takes six minutes for Alex to finally open his eyes and stare at the ceiling, letting out a quiet sigh. "I want you to

Flashback continue:- "I will announce our relationship in front of everyone. Effective immediately. You're worth more than whatever I have, Jasmine." "Okay. So, say we stay together. Then what? I've got to decide whether we stay closeted or not." "Pros and cons of each?" "I want to be out of the closet. I do. But then I have to deal with your pack members. It's all over. Everything. That means everyone will know that you cheated on your mate, and I am your lover, Alex. We'll both have to deal with it. But I don't want to be back in the closet." "Okay," Alex said, clearing his throat. "So then what if I kick Ashly out of her Luna position?" "Then everything has to change. You can live with me, and people will think Ashly was the one who came between us, not you. I can do that. I will make sure Ashly is treated as an omega, nothing else, and believe me, Jasmine, no one can help her, not even her own pack." "It's easy as it seems, Alex, and Ashly, I don't hate her; it's not her fau

Alex made the climb to his room, not wanting to face an empty bed. However, when he reached the top of the steps, he caught a certain woman leaning down to place a note on the ground in front of his door. Alex stopped in his tracks, holding his breath. Ashly knocked on the door of the room and hurried to make her departure before Alex could open the door. Of course, the moment she turned around, she noticed Alex standing on the steps. Ashly visibly tensed at the sight of him, which made him cringe. "What are you doing here, Ashly?" Alex asked, giving no hint to all the hopes buzzing around in her head. "After you... left, I knew that this would be it, you know, that we'd be... um. Done, I guess, but I talked to Mom and Monika, and they told me that if I really think that there's any chance that we could fix this, I should keep fighting for you, and I figured that there's nothing left to lose here, but I still wasn't sure I could face you, so I wrote a note just in case, and I thought

It took three hours for Kelly to finish, and Monika came out to speak to the crowd of people waiting. She'd helped work on her sister, and her eyes were a little glazed over when she came out. Adom stood from his seat and took her hands. "Monika, how is she?" She looked up at him as Alex came close to hear what was said. "The Alpha tried to stab her with one of its claws, and it broke off in her side. There was poison on it, and she lost a lot of blood, so it was touch and go for a little while, but she's stable. She's going to be okay." Adom hugged her, the girl letting out small hiccupping sobs as she hugged him back. It was awful seeing her sister so hurt, but she was okay, and that's all that mattered. Adom kissed her forehead and released her. "Can I see her?" She nodded and wiped her eyes, watching Alex curiously as Adom raced off to see his best friend. The Alpha looked as if he wanted to follow Adom, but he was frozen to the spot, facing a mix of fear and longing. Monika's

"Adom, hey. Why aren't you sleeping?" Monika said as she saw him walking towards her in the corridor. "I was going to check on Ashly; I know she is sad or crying for that Alpha." Adom said. Monika interrupted him by saying, "Will Ashly be okay in the future? She didn't say anything when I was in her room, just a second ago, and there was no" "Monika," Adom said, reaching out an arm to steady her. "It does not feel like a physical pain but more like a pain coming from deep within her; we never understand how she is feeling; her Alpha breaks their bond; we never understand her pain". Ashly heard them talking outside; she just hoped that they would leave her alone. "Ohhh, well, she didn't talk to us about all this; it's like she is thinking something," Monika said, while also telling him that she needs some time that didn't end very well. Adom was about to push past her to talk to Ashly, but she put a hand on his shoulder. "I think as much as you and I want to help Ashly right now,